I've been using Adobe Creative Suite 5.5 Bridge/Camera RAW/Photoshop for a while now and was ok until I upgraded my camera. It doesn't look like there is a prayer Adobe will add support for my new camera to the older software I've got. I have read folks asking this question on the Adobe user forums who usually got a snippy, “what's your problem, upgrade your software dude!” type answers. Yeah, well, that particular well is dry after my latest camera and likely to stay that way for a while. Besides, if you try to keep up with the latest version of software, you're not likely to have the funds to buy any new toys!

So I kept digging and found Adobe is pushing this thing called DNG Converter, or Digital Negative Converter. It has support for just about all cameras, including my new Nikon, and is (at this point, anyway) free to download and use. It will convert your files to a ‘DNG' file extension. The PITA* here is that it is one more step in the workflow.

I've been reluctant to buy Nikon's Capture NX2 and was wondering if anyone here has had any experience with that? If so, are NEF images processed with NX2 really significantly better than the same photo developed with Adobe Camera RAW? Suggestions? Comments?

Messy business, this software stuff, Bryan. I'm inclined to think that most people overspend on their software just to have the latest and greatest. Same with cameras and lenses as well. It does keep the economy rolling but there is an aweful lot of misconceptions and wasted money.

Unless you are a high end user CS is a bit of a waste. PSE is probably a better option or LR. As for low end users, NX and C1 are as much as you need. You will still need to upgrade if you buy a new camera. Either the software company or you will need to do that. Sometimes it comes free, others not. Adobe, like all, like you to upgrade. Thats where they make their money. One way of doing it is to limit when the upgrades will cease on new model cameras. Converting your files to DNG can be of some assistance but you still need to upgrade DNG converter and that needs to match the camera and the CS version you use. For example, I have a V2 Nikon. I can't open the files in CS5 but can in PSE 11 and LR. There are some free editors on line but take note of the mode (8, 16 or 32) and if it opens your files. You can download pretty well anything for a trial period.

I've been using CS since its inception, along with PSE and LR along with Picassa, Gimp, Windows Picture Editor and a few others I have forgotten about. What I do find with CS is that I have about 10 functions I use constantly and the rest just sits there. I think its a case of the more you know the less you use.

I think I tend to agree with you about some of the higher-end stuff in CS. I got the 5.5 in a trade sort of deal and use PS with ACR a lot — or did until my new camera. I also use Premiere Pro a lot, After Effects, Audition, and a couple others. But there's quite a bit that as you say, just sits there.

I do like exploring the software and learning new aspects of it. Just last week I learned that PS will do time-lapse movies — pretty cool. But as a non-commercial hobbyist, it is hard as heck to justify upgrading Creative Suite to stay up with the latest and greatest. Every time I turn around, it seems they're announcing something “New!”. Shoot, if I studied it full-time for the next ten years I might really learn what I've got.

I tend to point new users to PS Elements myself.

I've downloaded the trial version of Nikon's Capture NX2. It is a little different than Bridge, but seems to have pretty much the same ‘stuff' in it. It will allow you to open your NEF image in PS by doing an on-the-fly conversion to TIF. I'll probably end up going with this just to have access to the original RAW data in the NEFs and accept the loss of Bridge and its connectivity to PS. sigh.

Hi, I have been converting to DNG when importing into LR4. I started doing it save a bit of space as it is supposed to make the files smaller. I have had no problems editing these files in LR4. However, I recently noticed that RAW (CR2) files I was shooting at lower resolution for timelapse videos, were pretty much doubling in size when converted to DNG (from ~12mb to 20-30mb). I have stopped converting to DNG, but only for that reason.